Californie

1955 · 40543 — New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 1955. 8vo. x 309 1 pp. Numerous illustrations & photos. Half-red cloth over patterned boards w/ d.j. cover art portrait of Montez slght edgewear couple very small closed tears slight sunning to spine VG/VG-. First edition of this fascinating biography of Lola Montez 1821-1861 -- i.e. Elizabeth Rosanna Gilbert courtesan dancer and also believed to have been the major inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Irene Adler and the “Scandal in Bohemia.†After nearly bringing down the government of Bavaria and King Ludwig I bigamously marrying Cornet George Heald in 1849 she began her very successful career as dancer during the California Gold Rush and married for 2 weeks Pat Hull California Newspaperman in Grass Valley California. Holdredge 1898-1986 studied at the University of Oregon debuted as an opera singer in 1919 touring until the 1920’s and spent much of her later career writing on noteworthy San Francisco women. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, hardcover